“Hey, nice trill!”
It’s Handel and his world this semester, Wednesday evenings at New England Conservatory in their School of Continuing Education. We begin January 23 at 7:00.
Come and learn to:
https://necmusic.edu/courses/handel-singers-instrumentalists
Sing/play Bach arias this semester at NEC–class begins Wednesday February 7, 7:30-8:30pm. Learn how to choose great arias, rehearse them as chamber music, and make a recitative sound like a great story…details: NEC voice classes
Appropriate for singers who can learn this wonderful music on their own and are comfortable singing in German; also welcome: flutes, oboes, strings, keyboard players…please pass this on and questions welcome…
It’s time to start again–classes, lessons, and the “Birthday of the World”. Come sing, learn, and have fun in Boston and Cambridge. Or travel to Cape Cod for the High Holidays where no one needs a ticket to take a seat…Am HaYam meets in Orleans and I’m cantor, conductor and pianist…
The “Dungaree Dolls” (Rachel Silva, Judy Jackson and Ann-Marie Pina) perform their original song in May 2012
I grew up with the Platinum Singers, as a conductor and a teacher of elders. We founded this group when Obama was inaugurated. It comes to a end this Wednesday, June 28, from 2:30-3:30 in the Lincoln Room of the Harriet Tubman House, 566 Columbus Ave at Mass Ave. Free admission, audience sing-alongs, but with more than a touch of sadness.
The Harriet Tubman House has been a place where seniors who still live on their own could get a hot lunch, take excellent exercise classes, learn to live with diabetes, and get help on their home repairs. And it was a place to sit and chat, on hot days or cool, with other folks.
Sadly, the United South End Settlements is discontinuing ALL senior programming in order to “save the institution”. And they will put all their efforts into “families”. So the elders who do not have grandchildren that fit into this category are left without their community center in the South End. Damn shame. As “45” slashes all sorts of programming and funding for elders (like Meals on Wheels), we are in need of more community organizations to take up the mantle of serving this population.
Silver lining: about half of the Platinums also sing in our Jamaica Plain group, JP Jubilee, where the program is also virtually free and taught by the same wacky woman. Most of the Platinums have accepted our enthusiastic invitation to come sing with us there.
On another note, my student John is moving to Maine to be nearer to one of his daughters. He sang “The Silver Swan” at the last student recital, and it was a fitting end to our years of lessons together. Even as he lost words, he still could sing the melodies and vocalize up to a high C. He was working as a journalist at the White House during the Nixon era when the Saturday Night Massacre occurred, so we shared a lot about the current political situation while reflecting back on his time as a member of the “enemies list”. Fare thee well, John!
This is late notice, but hey, it’s good to know at any time that elders can learn to do hip-hop…and I will do a cameo solo in Deborah Henson-Conant’s song about the library, in honor of our return to the newly renovated branch library where we have met since we started in 2013. Lots of good fun, and short, too!
Sing and play the sublime arias of JS Bach in this 15 week class at New England Conservatory’s School of Continuing Education. Explore, rehearse, perform and delve into the beautiful intricacies of Mr. Bach’s chamber music for voice and obbligato instruments (flute, oboe, strings, etc). NEC –(scroll down voice page to Bach class)
Please share!
*Artwork above by David Lance Goines 1973. I saw this poster on every Bach lovers’ wall during my formative years of singing Bach in the Bay Area…
I like this title…you can make what you’d like out of it. One thing for sure: our concerts are fun, free and short! 
Singing classes which double as performing groups–what’s not to love? Two groups start this week, plus private lessons in Central Square and Jamaica Plain.
The Platinum Singers at USES meet after an excellent exercise class on Wednesdays…see below for complete list of classes (and can you spot us in the little photo?)
Our concerts are fun, short and full of variety. Come enjoy this delightful group of neighbors. I conduct this creative (and wacky) group. Actually, I think I’m the wacky one, but they definitely follow me.
Elizabeth Anker 